The Oldest Club in the Country Is Showing Off a New Look That Pays Tribute to the Pioneers of South African Golf. by Brendan Barratt
GOLF MEMORABILIA A ROYAL TRIBUTE The oldest club in the country is showing off a new look that pays tribute to the pioneers of South African golf. By Brendan Barratt In 2016, US website Golf Advisor provided a ‘global’ list of 15 must-visit spots for golf memorabilia lovers. While the intent was honourable, it was far from a comprehensive register and, somewhat predictably, despite the sport’s European origins a few hundred years before the game made its way across the Atlantic, this collection of venues is disappointingly US-centric. Conspicuous by its absence among this list of museums, clubs, shops and even a pub – The Dunvegan in St Andrews – is arguably the greatest collection of golfing memorabilia of all, located at the British Golf Museum in St Andrews, Scotland. Another historically significant – and rather valuable – golfing collection omitted from the list can be found at the oldest golf club in England, London’s Royal Blackheath. The club recently sold the most famous painting from its collection for the equivalent of R13-million in order to purchase the land on which the course is situated. Closer to home, Royal Cape Golf Club, in Cape Town, has launched its newly curated and refurbished collection of historical golfing memorabilia. The project, driven by former club captains Peter Sauerman and David Leslie, showcases the history of the country’s oldest golf club and its important role in the origins of the sport in South Africa. David Leslie and Peter Sauerman IMAGES: SUPPLIED/SEEAN/DOLLERY/HSM IMAGES SUPPLIED/SEEAN/DOLLERY/HSM IMAGES: 80 compleatgolfer.com compleatgolfer.com 81 GOLF MEMORABILIA ‘Golf is where it is because of what happened in the past.
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